The US Army has delayed its plans to move forward with a capability it was developing to launch a variety of missiles against rocket, artillery and mortar (RAM) threats, so Lockheed Martin is turning to the international market to sell its Miniature Hit-to-Kill (MHTK) missile designed to combat the worldwide threat.
Lockheed’s MHTK missile can go up against both RAM threats and some unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Bob Delgado, the company’s international business development director for air and missile defense, told Defense News on Thursday at Eurosatory, a land warfare conference.
The RAM threat “has proliferated, it’s a very cost-effective threat,” he said. “Obviously the cost of mortars and rockets are extremely low, not something you’d want to engage with these large missiles.”
Lockheed developed the MHTK weapon in order to take out RAM threats — the second-largest killer of soldiers in Iraq — at a fraction of the cost of larger missiles.
The Army is developing the Integrated Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) program in three phases, first tackling the UAS threat, a major priority for the service. In the second increment, the Army plans to focus on countering RAM threats. “That is where our missile comes in,” Delgado said. more
